Egyptian Shadows
by Xantcha Mirri Ojanen
Summary: Southern and Northern Egypt are having problems with the war. Now the Pharaoh and Empress must make some devestating decisions...YamiOC and other pairings. Kinda a prequel to my first fic, Egyptian Warrior, Xantcha.
1. Egyptian Shadows Of Love and War

Xantcha: FINALLY it's up!!

Bakura: Took you long enough...

Xantcha: Yeah, but I changed my mind part way through, so I had to rewrite.....

Ryou: ...Anyone who reviews gets....uhh....*Xantcha whispers to Riyo* GETS BROWNIES....Hm, that's a recipe I haven't tried yet...

Bakura: ...Oooooh, Ra...

Xantcha: ...*smiles innocently* there is one SURPRISE COUPLING! Forgive me if characters seem o/c....I'll look at it later, okies?  
  


~~~Xantcha Mirri Ojanen, Egyptian Wanderer~~~  
  


A dark cloaked figure hurried through the bustling streets of Cairo, Egypt. Slipping down one alley and appearing in the next, the figure was not spotted as it searched for it's prime target. Finding a local stall that hadn't any visitors, the figure came from behind the counter. Crouching near the counter in darkness, it listened to the conversation of the two owners.  
  


"Well?! Where is it?"

"I'm sorry, I tried but, she.."

"What do you mean, but?! I told you to kill her and take her enchanted item! We could take over even the pharaoh's court with that power!!"

"I'm so sorry, master....but she is much more powerful than you would first expect..."

"Let me get this straight, you let her -know- what you were up to, and now, if I'm correct, she will be looking for us here to get revenge! Idiot, we'll be murdered!"

"What if we left tonight? We could escape her wrath, perhaps....."

"Very well, we leave tonight, after the sun sets....perhaps we will get another chance to kill her in the near future...."'IF it is possible....'  
  


The figure growled and stood up. 'Do they know what they are up against? Damn them...' The figure removed two small dagger-like objects, called sai's, and threw them at her targets. The smaller one died on impact of the heart, but the other only suffered a punctured lung. The older looked up at the person approaching him, and hissed. Slowly, painfully she took the dagger out of his partner's heart, and turned to him. A female voice whispered into the darkness as she threw the weapon. "Power is only given to those who can control it, fool." The man gasped as the sharp object came towards him. 

"Ra dammit..."   
  


Everything was dead silent as the figure retrieved her weapons and retreated to the darkness. When she believed she was in the clear, she removed her hood. Crimson eyes clashed with white hair as she looked into one of the old antique mirrors her second victim had at a stall. Sighing, she traced her face and glowered. "Why am I cursed? All nobles had wished for my hand, and I was told I may refuse them all. But then, HE offered...." The woman threw the mirror onto the table, smashing it. Well, Xantcha, you've done it again, haven't you?! Oh well, like I care." She had once believed in superstition, but so far as she was concerned, she always had bad luck now. "Now, to ask the locals where the palace is...."  
  


* * *

  
  


Everyone at the palace was rushing around wildly, excited of the upcoming festival. He, of course, had chosen to go to the market. "Being in one place all the time must have SOME toll on the mind...It is better to get around and see the sights than to die with regrets." He had inherited the throne only 4 years ago, when he was fourteen. His father was killed in a shadow game, and there was only him to take on responsibility. The Priest Seth, of course, helped out since he was his ally from birth. And when he was 16, he met a tomb-robber, who he found was the holder of the millennium ring. Bakura, the tomb-robber, had killed the priest who originally held the item as self defense, and he had decided on letting Bakura stay in the palace and help him with war tactics and councilling. Seemed that long ago, the two had grown up together until they were each 6. They were separated under sad circumstances. The once tomb-robber was known now as a friend of the pharaohs. He brought his brother Ryou to the palace after joining the council. 

The last person to join the council was the one who held the millennium cloak. He was found beaten badly after a war, and Bakura found out that he had been from a neighboring ally country, only wishing to help in the war. His name was Marik, and he had a small brother that had been hiding near by, called Malik. He had joined the council at the pharaoh's request soon after. Yami sighed as his ruby red eyes observed the commoners.  
  


'So much to be happy about, and yet, I cannot keep from wondering what the princess is doing......' He had suggested the arranged marriage as a way to keep the two parts of Egypt together in such a dreadful war. In this, the people would be happy and Egypt would have a strengthened connection. He had been told that the princess however, was not exactly ecstatic about meeting him, never mind getting engaged. 'Maybe I was too rash....I should have discussed it with her.....'  
  


* * *

Seth ran frantically down the halls, searching for Yami. The pharaoh had suddenly gone missing, and he did not want to bother the servants and guards with the not-so-great news. While running, he heard his name being called. "Hey, Priest! Wait up, I have a message for you!!" Seto turned around to meet face to face with Marik, and he looked like he was in a panic too. 

"You've got to listen to this...Southern Egypt's princess has gone missing! Three of her councilors and a guard are here to talk to Yami." Seth stopped and sighed.....what to do? "Listen, go tell Malik, Bakura, Mai and Ryou to help me search for the pharaoh. Make sure no one hears of this, and keep the councilors and guard busy." With that much, he tore off towards the front entrance. 'I'll bet he's at the market...'   
  


* * *

Yami wandered down the streets, walking amongst his people and enjoying the sites and celebrations. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a young women with white hair. He stopped and went to get closer to take another look, but he lost her among the crowd. "Where did she go? I swore she looked familiar...." While talking to himself, however, he was pulled into a dark alley.   
  


"WHAT IN RA ARE YOU DOING?!" Seth hissed. "We've been looking all over for you!" Yami sighed and chuckled lightly. "What? Did you not enjoy the shock of not seeing me in the palace? Come now, Seth...I have had enough of the damn place. I wish to see things other than four walls and a few doors." Seth sighed and rubbed his temples. "Come on, Yami, I'll tell you what I heard from Marik..." Suddenly, a scream was heard. Yami immediately ran out to search for the location of it, but Seth grabbed his arm. "We can't! We have way too much to..." Yami suddenly broke free of Seth's hold and sprinted. Seth gasped, shook his head, and followed the young ruler.  
  


* * *

Gasping for air, Xantcha hissed as another bandit came towards her. 'Won't they ever give up?' Her arm was already torn up badly, and she was up against too many of these men to fight much longer. 'If only I had brought my magic elixirs...' Suddenly from out of nowhere, a figure in a brown cloak came from her right side out of the corner of her eyes. He called out some Egyptian spell, and the bandit fell. The others suddenly fled, realizing how futile it was to stick around. Xantcha slowly got up and walked towards the brown cloaked figure. 

Sword drawn, she noticed another figure in a blue cloak come in from behind the other. She slowly let her weapon down to her side and glanced over at the two. "I thank you for helping me. I am thankful for your help in that battle." A deep voice came from the brown cloak with a reply. "It was not a problem, I merely scared them off, that is all." Xantcha smiled gratefully. "Well I am glad that whatever you used works, that is for sure." The blue cloaked figure sighed and muttered something into the other's ear. Xantcha tensed up as the brown cloaked figure removed his cloak.   
  


* * *

All Xantcha could do was gape. The man that had saved her not even a minute ago was the cursed pharaoh himself. Xantcha caught herself staring, and immediately glared at his friend. "And, let me guess....You wouldn't happen to be Priest Seth, would you?" She was rather sarcastic, and Yami blinked twice as Seth took off his cloak hood. "Hmm, how did you guess? And I bet my item that you are..." 

Xantcha had heard enough, and she growled. "Quiet, priest. You don't want to go there." She didn't want to meet them, and she certainly didn't want the pharaoh to recognize her. "I am here on important business, hmm? Go pester someone else." Seth laughed and smirked."And I suppose that is a threat, hm? I sorely doubt that you would cause any trouble. Isn't that right, pharaoh?" Xantcha hissed as she turned away. 'I come here to assassinate him, and then he saves me?! Ra help me...' She shook her head to clear her thoughts. Much as she hated it, she owed him one.....And much as she hated it, he HAD helped her....   
  


* * *

Yami observed the woman I front of him, and rose as eyebrow. 'She almost seems to be fighting herself.....' He looked over at the young priest and blinked. Sighing, he slowly took Seth to the side while the young women contemplated something. 

"Seth? ...Who is she? I know that you know, but you haven't been explaining much lately...." Seth chuckled as he glanced at Xantcha. "You do not recognize her from 6 years ago? She was 10 and you were 12...she is the princess, don't you see?" Yami sucked in breath and chanced another look at the young woman. 'She is very beautiful....How could I have not known? No wonder she is so torn...' Yami sighed than looked at the priest head on. "Then why did you not tell me? I would have liked to have known....." The priest chuckled at this. "Well, you had best let her know that you understand who she is." Yami nodded and walked over to the princess.  
  


* * *

Xantcha hissed ,frustrated, as the pharaoh talked from behind her. "Lady Xantcha, you had best come with me to the palace." Seth smacked his head and sighed as Xantcha whirled around, glaring. "Oooooh Really?! And what am, I, a loyal SLAVE?!" Xantcha was now infuriated, and was about to leave when Yami sighed. "I apologize....I just....am surprised to see you here is all...." Seth came up from behind her and smiled. "Besides, your guard and councilors are waiting to see you..." Xantcha gasped. "WHAT?! They followed me HERE?! Argh....." Xantcha sighed and shook her head. "Maybe it is for the best that I accompany you to the palace then..." Yami smiled then nodded at her and walked in front of her.   
  


"BUT ON ONE CONDITION!" Yami jumped in surprise with Seth as she yelled at them from behind. She walked up between them and glared at Yami icily. "YOU tell ME exactly WHY you suggested the union!" Yami shuddered under her glare and sighed "I merely wanted the...ne, OUR people happy and restore connections as it was in the past..." Xantcha hissed and passed them completely, growling. "Well DON'T expect me to accept this, PHARAOH..." Xantcha was especially sarcastic on the last word. The group returned to the castle, with Xantcha slightly ahead, scowling.   
  


* * *

When the trio arrived at the castle, the others were tedious in the visiting room. When Xantcha arrived, the guard and councilors were all relieved. The first one was Hilary, and she was ready to give her a mental beating. "SO where were YOU and the PHARAOH, hmmmm?" Xantcha got nudged slightly and she suddenly hissed as Hilary giggled. The other two laughed as she scowled. Kurry came up to her and smiled graciously. "I suppose those two found you, hm? Well, I thank you very much. We were panicking and wondering what to do....Xantcha, I'm sooo happy to see you! You don't know how worried we were!" Xantcha sighed smiling as her guard, Riyo, walked up. "Well, how is the little one doing? You had us going...Ra, we were all in an uproar! At least the servants and people didn't find out." 

Xantcha growled when she was called the 'little one', but she let it pass. She looked over at the last of the three councilors. She has light brown hair, with one green and one blue eye. (A/N Sound familiar? Lol....I just had ta put you in, Gunner! : P) She walked up to her councilor and the duo-color eyed woman smiled. "Well, look at what the King dragged in! Ah well....I was hoping that we would be able to settle this into stone WITHOUT your complaining...." Xantcha frowned at her (A/N Sarcasm...) FRIENDLY rival. The two had met not even a month ago, but she had to accept her councilling since her other three friends insisted. She was in charge of war councilling, Serenity, Hilary and Kurry were her advisors, and Riyo was her personal guard. If anything happened, Riyo was usually there to protect the princess. Yuna was the less friendly of the bunch, but she did have good strategies.   
  


Xantcha nodded. "Well don't expect me to agree with all of this. I might NOT have a say, but I tell you, I'm gonna go kicking and screaming all the way. Not literally, of course." Seth all the while stared at the war councillor. He sensed a similar magic to his own, and found her eyes intriguing. Yuna looked up and caught his stare and blinked. Xantcha observed the two's behaviors and giggled. Yami smirked as he and the princess caught each other's eyes. Both knew that something was up, and Xantcha would tolerate him because she wanted to see what would happen. All of the others laughed until Malik came in the room. "Hey guys, you hungry? Supper's ready...Oh, hi, Lady Xantcha..."Suddenly Malik and Kurry's eyes locked onto the others. Malik went red and Kurry went a light shade of pink. Malik scooted out of the room as fast as he could as the others started to laugh. 

Riyo was laughing hardest as the chef came in to see the princess. They had met before when she had traveled a year ago. "Oh, hey Duke! How's it going?" Xantcha was curious to how he was doing until he stared at Riyo. "Uhhh...I'm...fine.....thanks...." Duke was suddenly called out by one of the servants, and Riyo was a nice shade of crimson. When the others started to smirk, she sighed. "Oh, DO shut up, won't you?" That set everyone off. Xantcha could sense that this place would not be so bad after all.  
  


Xantcha: ^__________^ Well, did it go good?! Did I have okay ideas? Did it suck? THEN REVIEW PLEASE!!!

Ryou: *is in the kitchen*

Bakura: *smirks* Yuna WILL kill you, ne?

Xantcha: ...But it's a cute couple!...Right, Yunie? *ducks butcher knife that's thrown* That's the spirit!!

Bakura: ....Didn't you have something to say to Riyo?

Xantcha: HAI! There's a reason you don't have the Sai's YET, Riyo....I'm working on the plot, kitto? You'll see....

Bakura: I'll do it for my aibou...Read and Review! ....  
  



	2. Pranks, an assassin and arrrows

Xantcha: I love the Reviews I got!!  
  
Ryou: ...*is still in the kitchen* Isn't it always like that?  
  
Xantcha: HAI! Now, just wanted to let you guys know that there is a vote on the bottom, so DON'T forget!!  
  
Bakura: *smirks* Oh really, now? *threatens to pull plug*  
  
Xantcha: You do and I'll make sure that you won't be able to walk for the rest of the year.   
  
Ryou: *laughs in the back*  
  
Xantcha: Anyways, on with the fic! Oh, and...  
  
~Star Reviewer: Kurry!~  
  
~Fanx for being such a loyal reviewer! ^__^~  
  
~(Bakura: I wish they wouldn't... Xantcha: Oh, be quiet you!)~  
  
~~~Xantcha Mirri Ojanen, Egyptian Shadows Chapter 2~~~  
  
~~~Feelings touching across time...~~~  
  
~~~Songs: Inuyasha: 'Feelings touching across time' and 'Deep Forest: English Version'~~~  
  
'After two days of avoiding the pharaoh, I'm already tired of getting bugged to talk to him by Kurry, Hilary and Riyo. Yuna doesn't care much, although she HAS looked at Seth more than once.' Xantcha was out in the garden, writing in a diary. 'I guess she has to see yet that those two are a nice couple. I mean, they both ACT the same way, TALK the same way...Ra, they even do similar jobs! They're both a priest and priestess and a war councilor. She's quiet like Seth too.   
  
Heh, the four of us have tried various plans yesterday, but the two were too smart to get caught in...well, situations. Kurry and Malik have been talking a lot recently, and Riyo has been to the kitchen various times. And I bet it's not for the food... Hilary has been walking around a lot, taking in all that has happened...It wouldn't surprise me that, if something were to happen to me, she would qualify for the job. I don't even know WHY they picked me to rule instead of her.   
  
They said something about a chosen one. I know, it sounds stupid, but hey, why bother asking. They're just idiots who have advised me since I was 10. I'm glad that I at least got to choose who I could add to the council afterwards, though. Yuna wasn't top on my list last year, either. At least we tolerate each other now.'  
  
Xantcha looked up from her diary and sighed. The fresh smell of her favourite flower reigned supreme out of all the others. Who would've known that the pharaoh's favourite flower was hers as well? 'Meh, he's just... a jerk anyways.' Taking breaths of the sweet smell in the garden, she decided to just meditate for a while. 'White roses have always reminded me of my first guardian, who passed on two years ago...'  
  
Hilary wandered through the halls searching for someone different to talk to. So far, she had talked to everyone in the palace as she saw fit. Now she was bored as...well, hell. 'I wonder what I could do....Make Yuna and Seth suffer? Tried that this morning...Make Xantcha and Yami suffer....Nope, she'll probably just hate him more...Make Kurry and Malik suffer?' The last idea had potential, so she headed to the one place that Kurry usually was. The Library.  
  
Kurry was studying magic with Malik, and loving every minute of it. 'He's really sweet to help me out. I've been stuck on this spell for weeks!' Malik had been looking up any spell he could find in 'commoner' libraries since he was 6. That was why he and Kurry had so much in common. They both had experience in healing magic. Kurry, however, had access to almost any book she wished since she, Hilary and Riyo were Xantcha's chosen guardians. 'I guess even though I've got his experience beat, he still has more knowledge in some spells than I do.' The two were working on a hard one at that very moment. It was a holy armor spell. One that, if used, would give the user and his/her friends magical armor. She had done research on it and found it would be extremely helpful to her and her friends. Malik had already learned one like it, but two people were needed to unlock this one from it's ancient books.  
  
"Ready then, Kur?" Malik had started using pet names the day before, and Kurry would always blush. "Hai, I hope that we succeed in creating this spell armlet." The two had agreed on using an item in order to use it at it's full power without saying the words. They were about to summon it until Kurry spotted something between the books on an eye-level shelf. When she saw two fox ears twitching, she giggled. Kurry told Malik to wait where he was. At least until she spooked their 'watcher'.   
  
Kurry ran around the shelves, only to find nothing there. Scratching her head lightly she turned around and let out a yell. "AAAAAAHHHHHH!" Malik came around in a flash and stopped dead at what he saw. Hilary had pounced out from behind her, scared her and took off before Kurry even knew what...well, hit her. Malik chuckled as he helped the mage on her feet. "I'll get you for that, HILARY!" She only heard laughter as a response.  
  
Hilary got two feet away from the library entrance, then collapsed laughing. "THAT WAS TOO EASY!!!" Servants and Philosophers alike walked quickly by her, fearing that she had been possessed. She giggled as she returned to her human form from her half demon form. When she was chosen as a guardian to one of her best friends, Xantcha, she had chosen to be half fox demon. She knew they were cunning and experienced animals, always using strategy.   
  
Xantcha had chosen to be part wolf demon, finding their almost mysterious ways entrancing. She had always loved canines, and now she was, well, one of them. Last but not least, Kurry had decided on being part angel instead of part demon. Why? She wanted to be something that could help her friends whenever they were in trouble, just like a guardian angel would. (A/N Okay...well, it was probably something different, but I thought I would add some background, ne, Kurry-Chan?)  
  
Riyo was in the kitchen once more, and was learning how to make some of her favourite recipes by her *cough* favourite cook. Duke was busy gathering the ingredients to make a special sugar cake, and Riyo was all up for it. The two had been cooking together since they had met, and Riyo could swear that Xantcha was giggling behind her back when the princess was around. "Hey, Riyo, can you stir this? I'm going to get the rest of the ingredients..." Riyo gladly obliged and smiled. "This is actually quite fun." Duke shook his head yes and smiled. "I decided to do this because I loved cooking. And, of course, tasting what I cooked." Riyo laughed as Duke looked over her shoulder and added some spices. "Alright, we can let that sit for an hour." Riyo stopped stirring and put the spoon over the pot. They were making an insanely sticky batter for the cake, and it was hard to stir the stupid stuff.  
  
Duke took off his apron and smiled. "Hey, you want to go out to the market? We could see what else the people make..." Riyo went slightly red as she looked down. "Well, that would be nice." Duke shook his head yes and headed outside with Riyo behind him. "I'll meet you at the main hall in a while, alright?" Riyo grinned and took off to her room. "Alright, see you downstairs!" Duke walked away and smiled. He waited until Riyo was away until he grinned widely. "Score!"  
  
Hilary walked down the hallways once more, then caught glimpse of something interesting from a window. Yuna was out in the southern parts of the garden practicing martial arts and magic, and there was a mysterious blue cloaked figure behind the bushes watching her. (A/N Wanna guess who it is?) Hilary smirked and ran down the closest stairs. 'This is just toooooo good! Today is SO my lucky DAY!!!' All of the servants moved out of the way as the princess' advisor almost literally flew down the stairs.   
  
Yuna was practicing some war tactics and battle moves when she felt an aura close by. 'Hmmmm....It's either the damn priest again, or another priest or priestess.' She stopped and surveyed her surroundings, and saw nothing. Sighing and rubbing her temples she retreated underneath a tree and sat down. 'I must be thinking too much again...' Slowly but surely, a certain priest came into her mind. She immediately shook her head violently and growled. 'Ra, I wish that would stop! I'm trying to train, for Sakhmet's sakes!!'   
  
Yuna had chosen to be a priestess of the war figure Sakhmet because she specialized in fighting. Xantcha was totally against it, but the others insisted. Yuna actually didn't mind the princess at all...It was just that she was so easy to bug. 'Maybe I should take a quick rest...After all, I HAVE been training for a while.' She soon found herself nodding off into sleep. She didn't notice however, that two red and black ears popped out of the bushes.  
  
Seth watched Yuna's graceful moves and smiled. 'She is actually rather good at fighting, and yet...Would she do good against someone such as me?' The Priestess seemed to be fighting with herself about something mentally soon after, and then she fell asleep against a tree.  
  
Seth was almost sure it was safe to come out in the open until he saw two animal ears across from him. They were red with black and white tips, and he was sure he saw them somewhere before. He waited a longer time until the ears disappeared into the bushes. 'I wonder if that was really an animal...' Seth stopped and waited a second before standing up. Suddenly, out of nowhere someone tapped on his shoulder. Seth let out a yell, Yuna woke up startled and she viewed Seth running after a certain half-demon. Yuna slowly let out a yawn, paused to think then hissed. "HILARY!!" The priestess and priest tore off after the fox, but did not prevail in catching her. Hilary ran through one of the bushes and disappeared into the garden.  
  
Both were panting for air until they realized what had happened. Yuna suddenly attacked Seth with accusations. "YOU were watching ME, weren't YOU!!!" Seth blinked twice before growling. "...I was just making sure you were alright!!" Yuna 'hmphed'. "MORE like sta-..." Before anything more could be said, someone came through the southern entrance. Both Priest and Priestess ran behind a tree and observed the pharaoh coming down the pathway.   
  
"Listen to me..." Seth hissed. "We both know that Egypt's only hope for survival is to have the two sections reunited." Yuna huffed as Seth continued. "So, if we stop arguing, maybe we could come up with a plan to get your princess to agree with the pharaoh's views, ne?" Yuna was now listening and she sighed. "Very well, but exactly how do you suppose we do that? Encourage Yami to give her flowers or something?" Yuna meant the last part sarcastically, but Seth grinned. "It's about time you put input into this conversation." Yuna blinked before gasping. "YOU don't actually THINK that he would DO that?!" Seth shook his head. "Have you seen the way he looks at her? It's written clearly on his face that he is smitten." Yuna shook her head and smiled. 'Maybe it won't be so bad after all.'  
  
Xantcha was now singing a tune that she had known since she could remember. She has sung it whenever she was confused or felt lonely, and it always helped. Xantcha didn't know that she had gained and audience, but continued to sing.  
  
~The sun hid your soul which you have left behind   
  
Hidden somewhere...  
  
In the deep deep of the forest,   
  
Lying among the trees...~  
  
~We don't know who to turn to,   
  
Just don't look around.  
  
And we fought there,  
  
Disappearing into  
  
The eternal darkness  
  
On the falling breeze...~  
  
~Could we have stayed the same if we were there?  
  
Could've we seen a different way, later?~  
  
~Go with the lies!  
  
And lose those fates behind!  
  
Wrapped around in lies,  
  
We stand the voices!  
  
Wanna leave the lies,   
  
Until we find a way!  
  
Searching for the light,  
  
Before eternity...~  
  
~The past is changing and moving around,  
  
Like the colors of the sky.  
  
Seeing it made me see  
  
What we used to know,  
  
Every single day...~  
  
~We are running so free now,  
  
With no one at reigns.  
  
The leads that we had.  
  
We leave our fears behind,  
  
Take another chance,  
  
And so we leave again.~  
  
~If we cast away all of time,  
  
We could probably fly so high!~  
  
~Go with the lies!  
  
And lose those fates behind!  
  
Wrapped around in lies,  
  
We stand the voices!  
  
Wanna leave the lies,   
  
Until we find a way!  
  
Searching for the light,  
  
Before eternity...~  
  
Xantcha paused and sighed. Her aura and the wind seemed to mix and she was actually for once relaxed since she had arrived. She began to finish up the song.  
  
~Go with the lies!  
  
And lose those fates behind!  
  
Wrapped around in lies,  
  
We stand the voices!  
  
Wanna leave the lies,   
  
Until we find a way!  
  
Searching for the light,  
  
Before eternity...~  
  
'Everyone's been so good to me...' She was now walking towards a nearby lake in the garden.  
  
~Go with the lies,  
  
And lose those fates behind!  
  
Wrapped around in lies,  
  
We stand the voices!  
  
Wanna leave the lies,   
  
Until we find a way!  
  
Searching for the light,  
  
Before eternity...~  
  
'The least I could do...'  
  
~Go with the lies,  
  
Before eternity...  
  
Searching for the light,  
  
For eternity...~  
  
'Is try and help them out this time.' She finished the song and smiled. She was truly going to try and get along with him. She owed it to the people, and more importantly, to her friends. 'I've been giving everyone such a hard time lately...I'm such an idiot sometimes.' She laughed quietly to herself as someone came into her right eye's view. Turning around to look at the person, she saw it was the pharaoh. Smiling, she met him half way across the garden.  
  
Yami was suddenly suspicious of Xantcha. 'Why is she smiling? She is usually scowling or glaring at me....?' Xantcha walked up and grinned. "Afternoon, Yami. Could I talk to you for a moment?" Yami was shocked at this moment, and was completely frozen in place. "Actually, I was hoping that you would." Xantcha nodded and began the conversation. "First of all, why did you suggest we stay here? My friends and I, I mean. We could have gone back to Southern Egypt to prepare there in the first place." Yami was still quite stunned that Xantcha would talk to him, but answered quickly. "I believed that it would be faster if you stayed here. That, and I hoped we would be able to get along even the slightest." Xantcha looked up into the pharaoh's eyes and suddenly felt guilty. She had never gave him a chance, and he was suddenly asking to try once more? "Well....." They both went silent for some time, until Yami decided it was hopeless and began walking towards the palace. "Wait."   
  
Yami stood with his back turned wanting to know why the half-demon had told him to stop. She took a deep breath as she continued. "I just.....wanted to say.....that I'm sorry.....about everything." Yami was breathless as he felt Xantcha waling up behind him. "I know you wanted the best for Egypt, and yet....The largest reason I did not wish to be engaged because if I wasn't, I knew I was in control of my future...I know I may sound like a control freak to you, but it's one of the few times in life where I could not make a decision."  
  
Yami was now ready to admit to himself that he was hearing things, until Xantcha walked in front of him with a small smile. "I guess that we both want what is best for the people's hm?" Yami nodded wordlessly as Xantcha continued to speak. "I was hoping that it wouldn't have to come to this to save our people, but, I've decided that..."  
  
Yuna and Seth could not believe what they were hearing, and they were sure that it was going to be what they hoped it was. The two decided to leave the hanyou and pharaoh alone, and walked to one of their temples. The temple was the temple of Sakhmet, an dit was covered in offerings of gold, silver and precious gems. Suddenly, Yuna turned around to look at the drawings, and she screamed.  
  
A sudden scream rang through the gardens and Xantcha panicked. "That was Yuna!!" Both Yami and Xantcha tore through the gardens until they came to a split. Xantcha stopped and slowly closed her eyes. Fear was building up within her, and she hadn't much time to waste. Suddenly, it hit her. "YAMI! Do you have a temple for Sakhmet here?" Yami smiled sadly and nodded. "Yes, of course." Xantcha suddenly bolted and Yami had to pick up his speed to keep up with her.  
  
When they got there, Seth was in Yuna's arms unconscious, and Yuna was livid and for once, scared. "Xantcha! Pharaoh! Please, we have to help him!" Xantcha ran over to Seth's body and winced. "He was shot with a drain arrow...with dark powers to boot.....Oh Ra, I hope we can save him." Yuna slowly looked down at the knocked out priest and sighed. "The arrow was aimed for me...I...He just...Ra, he took the arrow for me!!" Yuna was on the verge of tears and Xantcha was shocked. "Yuna..." She then shook her head. "He'll be alright, we need to get Kurry or Malik....Both, if possible." Yami shook his head and ran out to find them. A few minutes later, Yuna was now not only upset, but now, she was livid. "WHO IN RA'S NAME WOULD DO THIS! I swear, by Sakhmet, that I will have their head!!" Xantcha was shocked and sighed sadly. Why would this happen to Yuna instead of her?  
  
  
  
Yami flew down the hallways searching for the healing magic casters. He suddenly stopped when he saw Hilary walking down the hallway. "HILARY!" The fox demon turned around and blinked suddenly. She then walked up to Yami and met him halfway. "Hmmmm?" Yami was gasping for breath, but managed to talk. "Please...can you tell me where....Malik and Kurry..." Hilary blinked twice and looked down the west hallway. "They're studying a spell in the Library...." Yami was gone once again, and Hilary was left to contemplate what could have happened.   
  
Yami burst through the doors of the library and ran as fast as he could to the table Kurry and Malik sat at. "Malik...Kurry..." He slowly took a deep breath as the two stood up and walked around the table towards the pharaoh. "Hey Yami, what's wrong?" The angel and Malik stood there as Yami caught his breath. "We have to get to the temple of Sakhmet immediately. An assassin or something of like has broke into it and has hurt Seth..." Kurry and Malik nodded to each other, and ran to the temple.   
  
Yuna was about ready to rip out something's lungs when the healers and the pharaoh arrived. Seth was still breathing, but it was very shallow. Kurry gasped when she saw the arrow just above Seth's heart, and Malik began a chant to cure the priest. Kurry slowly began to remove the arrow until a sharp pain went up her arm. "The arrow's enchanted...I can't touch it without feeling pain." Yuna growled. "Fine, I'LL do it!" She grabbed the arrow almost effortlessly and pulled it out. Everyone gaped as she began to pull him up and Malik and Kurry helped carry Seth up to his room. Xantcha and Yami stayed behind, contemplating who would have done such a thing, Xantcha took some grace in one thing. "At least Yuna got the arrow out."  
  
Back in Seth's room, Kurry and Malik fixed up the wound and left to inform Yami of his condition. Yuna had stayed behind, still believing it was her fault. When Yami and Xantcha heard of the situation, it wasn't looking good....  
  
Xantcha: Well, what will happen to poor Seth? By the way, I wanna have a vote! Who says I should do what in the next chap? A) Follow the plot about why Riyo wasn't given her sai's in first chap b)My past (and other char's) in this fic or c) Just continue on without the story with no background (not recommended ^_-)  
  
Ryou: *comes out of kitchen* I've got the brownies!  
  
Bakura: *takes one* Not bad, aibou, what did you put in them?  
  
Xantcha: *takes one, eats it then grins* ^______________________^  
  
Bakura: Please say no sugar...  
  
Ryou: ...Anou, there's a reason that they are called triple choco fudge brownies...  
  
Bakura: 0.0 *whimpers* Ra, no...  
  
Ryou: ..And I added icing....  
  
Xantcha: *___* ICING!  
  
Ryou: ...And chocolate chips...  
  
Bakura: ENOUGH, aibou! SAY WHAT YOU NEED TO AND RUN!!! *takes off, leaving clouds of dust*  
  
Xantcha: W00T!!! ^__^  
  
Ryou: *laughs nervously and passes out brownies* Read, Review, and remember to vote! *watches Xantcha type away at her pc giddily* At least she'll type faster...I hope it's sane stuff though.... 


	3. Bonding Catch you catch me

Xantcha: Okay serious in some parts, but a major part of this is pranks pulled by a certain friend of mine.  
  
Bakura: You mean that bloody Hilary, right?  
  
Xantcha: HAI! She gave me enough inspiration to laugh about for awhile!!  
  
Ryou: Xantcha does not own any of the Yugioh Characters, Kurry, Riyo, or Hilary.  
  
Xantcha: I only own my ownsome self. ^^  
  
Bakura: That made no sense what so ever.  
  
Xantcha: I know! Oh, shout to Hilary for the ideas for your pranks!!  
  
Ryou: ...Do they have the pharaoh in them?  
  
Xantcha: *laughs insanely* Of course! *high fives Bakura* On with the story!!!! ^___________________^  
  
Ryou: Ra help him.  
  
Song: Catch you catch me - Card Captor Sakura (Get the lyrics yourself, I'm too lazay...:P)  
  
~Xantcha POV~  
  
Xantcha sighed as she searched the book for an answer to Seth's problem. The other priests had found that there was a poisonous fluid that the arrow was dipped in, and it was slowly killing him. Not to mention the fact that Yuna had just about broke down multiple times when she found out. All she did now was stay by his side and sulk. Xantcha put down the old parchment and picked up a book. She had grown close to everyone here since she came, and had become attached to everyone, including a certain pharaoh.   
  
Xantcha placed her chin on her hand as she glanced at the now open book. She had made her choice just minutes ago, and had announced it to boot. Yami looked quite alright with everything after, and she still found it hard to believe that she had decided to go along with everything. Taking a deep breath she flipped the page of the book. 'I hope that everything turns out okay.'  
  
~Yami POV~  
  
Yami sighed as he walked into the library. He had just come from the council room and was still out of sorts within himself. His and Xantcha's councils had just had a meeting, and he had heard the princess finally state her decision, and he just about went insane when she did. The pharaoh looked down to the floor, thinking about Seth. He wondered if anything would ever be the same. 'Why does everything have to happen at one time? Can't it be in stages, instead of it all happening at once? Not that I'm complaining...' The pharaoh smiled as he picked his eyes up from the floor to look ahead of him. He smiled as he shook his head sadly. 'She's been at it for awhile now.'  
  
~Normal POV~   
  
Yami made his way over to Xantcha silently and quickly, so as not to disturb her. He sat down quietly beside her, looking over her shoulder. She seemed to be entranced by the book, and Yami did not know why. "Do you find the history of the items interesting?" What happened next had just about made the pharaoh have a heart attack. "YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!" Yami stared wide eyed as Xantcha was standing, eyes narrowed. "What are you trying to do, scare me to the shadow realm?! Ra...." She sat down as she took in quick breaths, trying to still her heart. She suddenly stiffened as Yami rubbed her back to calm her. It was NOT helping. "I was merely asking if you were finding this book interesting. I did not mean to scare you like that."   
  
Yami chuckled as she growled, frowning. "I WAS in a deep train of thought! Ra knows that I have too much to think about..." The pharaoh smiled as he rested his head on Xantcha's shoulder. "Well, relax, because I've got good news." Xantcha sighed as she closed her eyes. "What is the good news?" She waited patiently for Yami to answer. "Tomb robber found something about a cure." The princess snapped open her eyes. "Whaaaaaaa? Then let's go!!" Xantcha quickly stood up and grabbed Yami's arm. "Well, don't be slow! I want to see what he found!!" Yami smiled as he stood up. "All right, he is in the west wing. I'm guessing that you're exci-..." He didn't have time to finish as Xantcha tore of, still holding onto his arm.  
  
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The two rulers got to the west wing in less time than Yami expected, thanks to Xantcha almost pulling his arm off. "Oy, Bakura! What did you find?!" The tomb robber looked up and quickly and nearly died laughing at what he saw. There stood the pharaoh, almost dead on his feet and Xantcha, the most hyper he had seen yet. "Have a nice trip here, pharaoh?" Yami merely waved it off as Xantcha once again pulled him over. "Well, no more suspense, hm? What did you find?" Suddenly they heard someone yell. "Kur, SLOW DOWN!!"   
  
Kurry came flying around the corner, clinging onto a now tired Malik. "Sorry, Malik, but I wanted to get here as soon as possible!!" Malik sighed. "You could have *gasp* let me get here at *pant* my own pace..." He suddenly fell down as Kurry let go of his arm. "Oops, sorry..." She immediately pulled him up, against his own wishes. "I want to sleep now..." Bakura laughed loudly as both pharaoh and a curing priest glared. "Well, now that you two have dragged along your guys, I can tell you what I found." What Bakura had just said sunk in and Kurry, along with Xantcha yelled. "TOMB ROBBER!!" Bakura merely smirked as he showed the four a gold embossed book. "Look here."  
  
After about an hour of deciphering the rest of what was written in Ancient Egyptian language, they found out the contents. "It says here that we have to head to a cave about half a day south of here. I can probably get there on horse." The other four stared at Xantcha. Kurry rose her voice. "Are you crazy!? You need to stay here to take care of everything!" Malik nodded as Xantcha 'hmphed'. "Well, you have to stay here to take care of Seth with Malik, Duke needs to stay here to cook, Hilary and Riyo have to stay here to protect the city, and Bakura has to make sure there is no battles started! What choice do we have? I must go to get that herb!"   
  
Yami stayed silent as she continued. "Listen, Hilary is to take my place, lest anything happen to me. She can properly run everything with your help. I promise that I will come back in 3 days or less otherwise." Kurry's shoulder's slumped in defeat. "Yeah, and Yuna will stay here with Seth...I guess you are right..." Everyone stayed quiet for a minute until the pharaoh spoke up. "Allow me to go as well. He is my priest after all."   
  
Everyone stared as Yami looked at Xantcha. She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. Looking down, she sighed. "I already know I can't change your mind..." The group turned as a third voice spoke. "Come to think of it, you can't change my mind either." Xantcha smiled as she walked up to the millennium cloak holder. "You had best not argue with me, princess. I won't take no for an answer. Pharaoh, Xantcha, when do we leave?" Bakura chuckled as Xantcha grinned. "I'll take care of everything here otherwise, alright? Hey, pharaoh..." Bakura slapped Yami's back. "Take care of her, hm?" Yami smirked as Xantcha face faulted. "What is that supposed to mean?!" The whole group laughed. Kurry sighed. 'Ra, help them get back safely...'  
  
~Next day~  
  
Xantcha sighed as she walked into the dining area. "Ready you two? We have to leave early tomorrow, you know." Marik and Yami nodded as Yuna came out. The three stopped and stared as she walked up to Xantcha. Unspoken words rose up between the two as Yuna broke the silence. "I want you to know that I appreciate this. Here," Yuna handed Xantcha a pack of herbs.   
  
"These can be used to instantly heal wounds, and are hard to find. Now, you had better come back alive, princess." Xantcha nodded wordlessly as she accepted the pack that was the size of her palm. "Good luck to all of you, and Sakhmet grant you her blessings." The four glanced at each other through the tense silence. 'Come back safely, because I cannot handle more losses if Seth goes.'  
  
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Xantcha thought to herself as she walked down the hall. 'Tomorrow we leave. What will happen?' Suddenly she heard giggling in the boy's bathing room. 'What the?' Walking around the corner she nearly dropped. There Hilary was, pouring some blue stuff into the water. "What are you DOING?!" Hilary started to laugh. "Dying the water, why, what's it look like?" The fox demon's ears twitched slightly as Xantcha smirked. "Why?"   
  
It was Hilary's turn to smirk. "It will dye their hair blue, of course! C'mon, help me out! Get some more of this herb dye stuff from the storage. Here," Xantcha blinked. "it's the storage room key. Let's just say I snuck it from, almost literally, the pharaoh's nose." Hilary grinned as Xantcha grabbed it. "I'll be right back!" Xantcha tore down the hallway, not noticing a certain Tomb Robber sneaking into the bathing area.   
  
"So, is that what you were doing? My, my, what a bad thing to do, demon." Hilary cried out as she nearly fell in. Bakura grabbed her arm and pulled her up. "Don't fall for your own prank, that would almost be breaking just about every tomb robber rule I know." Hilary backed away slowly, wondering why he was smirking. "What, exactly, do you think you are going to pull, hmmmm? This looks like dye..." Bakura dipped his finger in, and it washed away with no mark. Confused, he pulled a hair out of his head and dipped it in. He watched it turn blue and laughed.   
  
"Ahaaaa....Although you are going to have to make it less potent. Hmmm..." Bakura walked over to a cabinet and smirked. "This will do the trick. You want it to be noticed AFTER they get in. I, on the other hand, have had many pranks pulled on me from 'fellow tomb robbers' in the past." Hilary stared wide eyed as the white haired tomb robber stood up. "Why are you helping me?" Bakura chuckled deeply and smirked. "Why, to get back at the pharaoh, of course." Hilary thought to herself of possibilities of him back stabbing her. 'Hopefully not.'  
  
Xantcha came out of the storage room, holding two large jugs of the liquified herbs used to die the pool. Laughing, she locked the door and turned around. This time, however, seeing an unexpected face. "And what are you doing with my storage key?" Xantcha yelped as she looked in her right hand. 'Crap!' "Ahhh...Duke wanted some herbs...You know, for cooking." She laughed nervously as he smirked. "Oh? Well, I don't know how he got my key..." Xantcha froze. 'Agghhhhhh...bad recovery, bad recovery...' The princess smiled almost wistfully. Putting the bottles down and walking slowly towards the pharaoh, she saw him freeze. "Well, I saw it on the table beside your bed..."   
  
'He is going to be reaaaallly nervous after this.' Xantcha put a hand on his right shoulder. "So I figured I could use it, hm? I thought you wouldn't mind.." Yami was absolutely in shock as she rubbed his shoulder lightly. He swallowed as he stammered. "Ahhh...It's..Al...right..." Xantcha smirked. 'Piece of cake...' She smiled as she placed the key in his hands. "Okay then. Thank you. I'll see you later, hmm?" (A/N: *Smacks readers with hams.* Doooon't go there!! I know what you are all thinking!!) Yami half-smiled as she walked away. 'Well, that was...random...'  
  
The young princess walked around the corner, then took off full speed. 'I know that was a dirty trick to pull, but it was all I could do! Playing on his feelings was...cheap though. Oh well.' Almost literally flying into the room, she gasped. "Aggggghhhhhhhh!" She went to run away only to see Hilary laugh. "Don't worry Xan. He's helping us." The tomb robber quickly took a jug and started pouring it in. "All right, give me the other one, and fast! I hear someone coming." Hilary's ears twitched as both half-demons and the tomb robber ran into a walk-in closet. "Shhhhhhh..." Bakura covered Xantcha's mouth when she went to say something, nd she frowned. They gasped at what they saw.   
  
Yami walked in slowly and sighed. "I need a hot bath to calm my nerves. Hm? The water's ready...someone must've been in a little while ago." The pharaoh shrugged to himself as he went behind a curtain to change. The three pranksters in the closet, however, decided to look away rather quickly. Hilary giggled quietly and whispered to Xantcha. "Awwww, c'mon...you ARE going to be engag-..." Xantcha placed her hand on her friend's mouth. "NO!" She hissed as Hilary giggled. Bakura suddenly growled. "Alright, he's in the other room. He is going to see it any time now, so let's get out of here!" The three ran as they heard someone yell. "WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA?????????????"   
  
Xatntcha stopped for a minute before giggling and beginning to run. She didn't get all the way though. "Where do you think YOU are going?! It SEEMS that a little prank was meant for me. Do you have any idea why? I wonder why you were in there? I'm sure it doesn't all add up, right?" Xantcha turned around and gulped. Yami stood there, with a towel on and his hair blue. He was hanging onto her cloak, and she was shocked at how fast he caught on. "Noooooo...not.....really..." Yami shook his head sighing as Xantcha smiled nervously. "Well, it adds up to ME." Xantcha laughed and then sighed.  
  
After Yami got the full story out of Xantcha, he tried to wash the dye out of his hair. Soon, eight times later of washing his hair, it finally came out. Xantcha snorted as Yami walked into 'their' room. The council men needed to make room for another guest, and deciding that it shouldn't bother the princess, moved her in with Yami. The two got along well, but there was the odd moments that made it edgy.   
  
Xantcha started to giggle as Yami narrowed his eyes playfully. (A/N: *smacks readers again.* .....) "Well, if you hadn't dyed my hair, I wouldn't have my hair like this!" Xantcha grinned. "But you should have seen yourself! It was hilarious! Ra knows it was!" The 17 year old pharaoh sighed as he shook his head. "Well, it was AFTER I got the stuff out of my hair. However, don't be surprised if I pull a prank on you now." The princess' grin widened. "Yeah, right! You'll never get back at me for this one!"   
  
She was wrong. When she turned back to her book, Yami grabbed her and pulled her towards him, tickling her. She laughed as she tried to get away. "Yami! Hahahahaha, stop! All right, I surrender!!" After a good few minutes, he finally stopped. She gasped for air as the pharaoh smirked. "I KNEW you were ticklish. See? I got back at you." Xantcha slowly took deep breaths while smiling. "Yeah, don't rub it in, pharaoh..." She sighed as she flopped down on the bed as she whined playfully. "But you didn't have to get even!" Yami smirked. "Well, I suppose, but you were likely to do it again, hm?" Xantcha 'hmm'ed. "Yeah, most likely." The two laughed as she got up. "I'm gonna go for a walk in the art gallery, ok?" Yami yawned. "Mmmm, alright." He laid down. "I'm going to go to sleep...I hardly have had any since I was preparing the scroll..." Xantcha shook her head as she walked out of the room. "Have a good sleep then."  
  
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As Xantcha walked down the corridor wondering through the gallery, her eyes saw a very...unnerving painting. On it was the most ugly bird she has seen in her life! It had black and brown wings and looked like a, well... "A Very, very demented crow..." Xantcha smirked as she walked towards another painting, this time with a young woman, but she had the most awful looking clothes. "Okay, maybe that is a little ugly...I'll have to redecorate the gallery...What the?" The eyes in the painting started moving and she blinked. "Magic....maybe?" As she looked closer, she screamed bloody murder.   
  
"What, you don't like me or something?!" Xantcha tore off down the hallway without hesitation. "THE PAINTING TALLLKEDDD!!!! (A/N o__0)" The person BEHIND the painting laughed. "Xantch, wait! Oh well...she doesn't have to know it was me..." Hilary slowly opened the door, aka the picture. (A/N: Get it? Hint: secret halls...) "That's actually really interesting how many secret corridors are behind these walls, heh!" The half fox demon walked slowly down the hallway. "I'll just hope I haven't convinced her that the place is haunted, though."  
  
As the young princess raced down the hall, she saw Marik walking slowly. Spinning him around, she cried out. "ApaintingtalkedtomeohmyRathisplaceisabsolutley..." Marik laughed. "Woah there, slow down! Now, what is it?" Xantcha took a deep breath before continuing. "A painting...in...the....gallery....talked!!" Marik laughed. "Alright, Xantcha, show me the painting." After She dragged him where the painting was, he stared at it. "It's not talking..." Xantcha sighed. "But it DID! I swear!!" Marik shook his head sadly.   
  
"You have a lot of pressure on you, right? Go read a book or something and relax. You are most likely hallucinating." Xantcha sighed. "I guess so...Sorry." The Cloak-keeper laughed. "Just don't let everyone think you are crazy, hm? The servants will get scared of you." The two laughed and went opposite directions. Xantcha headed to the bedroom. "Maybe I DO need some rest..."  
  
Xantcha walked into the room and saw Yami immediately, so she stood there for a moment, watching him. 'I wonder if this will ever really work out? We do get along really well...' She didn't notice as a fox slipped in and jumped on the bed. Staring for a moment, the fox 'giggled'. Xantcha blinked. She then transformed into her full demon form, a black wolf. The two had telekinetic powers when in demon state, but they could only use it on each other. /'Hilary, what are you doing?'/ Hilary pawed at the pharaoh's face. \'Watch.'\ Xantcha giggled as she watched. /'*snort* Let me try!'/   
  
Xantcha pounced onto the bed gracefully and wagged her tail. /He's gonna kill us if he wakes up.../ Hilary tipped her head to one side. \I know...and?\ Xantcha shook her head lightly then pawed at the pharaoh's face. Yami muttered something incoherently and 'mmm'ed. Just as Xantcha was about to jump off of the bed, Yami spoke in his sleep. "That...feels...nice..." Shocked with her eyes wide, Hilary smacked the pharaoh with her paw, waking him up slightly. "What the..." The fox and pharaoh looked at each other striaght in the eye before he cocked his head to one side, then laid down. "Good......ni.....ght." Xantcha nearly died laughing as Hilary jumped off and scampered out of the room.  
  
Now half-demon, the two friends laughed. "Can you believe he LIKED that? Oooohhhhh what a jerk!" Xantcha smiled. "But entertaining. You should have seen your face! Now THAT was funny!!" Both laughed before they heard the door open behind them. The two took off at break neck speed, never stopping until they got around the corner. Yami stood there for a moment blinking. "I just wanted to tell them to be quiet." He sighed as he walked in. 'Why does my face feel...wierd...? I feel like I've been hit a few times...wierd...' With that, he feel asleep on the bed.  
  
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Both half-demons laughed together as they walked down the halls. "I dunno if he saw us or not, but I bet he doesn't know what happened." Xantcha nodded. "Agreed...Hey, isn't that Kurry-chan?" The two walked up until Hilary told Xantcha to wait. "I'm gonna have fun with this one. Bring Malik to the bottom of the stairs, k?" Both wolf and fox went their seperate ways. Hilary ran up to Kurry with the most large smile ever. "Hey Kurry!! I'm bored...race you down the banisters!" Kurry laughed as she walked up. "Well, alright. Just this once, alright? 1, 2..."  
  
Xantcha ran and quickly pulled Malik to the bottom of the stairs without any explanation. Malik blinked as she stopped. "Just exactly why did you bring us here?" Xantcha giggled. "You'll see..." The princess looked up and grinned. "Stay right here a second, ok?" She ran as she heard a scream. "MALIKKKKKK.....getouttathewaaaaaaayy!"   
  
Hilary and Xantcha winced as Kurry landed on top of Malik, Malik unconcious for a moment and Kurry dazed. Kurry and Xantcha locked eyes and the white mage stood up. Pulling up Malik she growled. "Why you...." Hilary and Xantcha glanced at each other, transformed into full demons and ran with all of their might. "I'll get you two back, count on it!!" With that, the pranksters went their seperate ways.  
  
After walking awhile, Hilary snuck into Riyo's room. The guard loved using different herbs in vials and all sorts of good things, and Hilary knew there was some trouble to stir up. She smiled as she found a pink liquid and purple tube filled with powder. "What happens if I mix these?..." She shook the vial, and a small explosion occured in her hands as a odd purple goo covered her hands, then dried just as fast. "What the....it dyed my skin purple?.....hmmmm." She laughed as she got a large bottle and filled it with purple powder and then with pink liquid. Carefully, she walked out of the room. "Now, who haven't I played a prank on yet.....ohhhh too good."  
  
Riyo walked down the hallway, feeling tired after helping duke gather ingredients for supper that night. 'Who knew the kitchen was that BIG? I need a nap.' She then saw the 'infamous' fox tailed demon running towards her. "Hey, Hil. What are you doing?" Hilary sighed as she handed the guard the bottle. "Can you shake this for me? I'm trying something..." Riyo thought she sounded serious, so she looked inside the bottle, then laughed. "Really? How about we find someone ELSE to shake this?" Hilary sighed. "Oh, fine...That was no fun." Riyo grinned. "I figured you were up to something. Now, come on, I saw a certain young woman walk by a moment ago." Hilary followed Riyo down the hall.   
  
Meanwhile, Xantcha was walking with Yami after running into him by accident. She found out he couldn't get to sleep, so he walked with her. "So let me get this straight...the council is counting on us to open the forbidden Winged Dragon Gate? You know how dangerous that is. Even if we both channeled our powers." The pharaoh sighed, smiling. "I know, but they think that if we were to...well, wed...that together we could increase the powers of the items, therefore opening the gate and controlling one of Ra's most powerful creatures."   
  
Xantcha nodded and sighed. She opened one eye to see her guard and councilor running towards her. "HEY XANTCHA!" Xantcha stopped as Yami did to meet her guard. "What?" Hilary sighed. "I'm trying and experiment and I need someone to shake this so that I can get the other stuff ready with Riyo." Yami nodded as Hilary handed the bottle to him. "Can you shake that up now?" The pharaoh stopped and looked down at the container in his hands. "Xan...can you? I need to check my scroll to make sure everything is ready." Xantcha widened her eyes at the pharaoh's use of a pet name for her, but none the less took the bottle. "Alright." As she lifted it, Riyo, Hilary and Yami all ducked to the side. *POOF*  
  
As the smoke cleared, everyone but Xantcha died laughing. Her hair was know a deep shade of purple, along with her face. "..." She twitched as she summoned her sword to her hand. "Hilary, Riyyoooooo...Come closer." Both stopped laughing and had a face that said 'Oh Shit!' and ran. Xantcha sighed as she put away her sword and headed back to her and Yami's room. "I guess you got me back, you little idiot."   
  
Yami chuckled as he followed her. "It was entertaining for a moment." Xantcha sighed. "It's gonna take me quite awhile to get my hair back to normal. Aghhhh, they are going to die!" The pharaoh snorted as he and Xantcha walked into their room. "Well, I'm sure it won't be too long." Well guess what?  
  
It was his turn to be wrong. Xantcha washed her hair TEN times until it looked half decent. It was Yami's turn to laugh as she walked in front of the mirror and began to comb out her hair. "Grr, shut up pharaoh, I HATE purple." Yami smiled. "Yes well," He walked behind her and put his arm around her waist smirking as she went red. "You don't look too bad with a tint of purple."   
  
Xantcha went from semi-red to down right flushed as he put his head on top of hers. "Besides, it will wear out, right? Now let's go, Duke is almost done cooking." The two looked at each other in the mirror for a moment before he hesitantly let go and gently picked up her hand. 'He's is not seriously...Oh well, I could get used to it.' The pendant holder slowly sighed as she allowed the puzzle holder to pull her along with him to the dining room. 'Actually, it won't take long getting used to at this pace.'  
  
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As the two rulers sat at the table, the tomb robber stood up. "Before we eat, I've good news and bad news. Good news is, the horses are in perfect condition for the trip tomorrow. The bad news, on the other hand, has turned out far worse than I had ever imagined...."  
  
Xantcha: Was that okay? It's not as good as the first copy of this chapter, because I had to delete the original on my laptop. It said it has a virus.  
  
Bakura: What am I going to say?  
  
Ryou: You'll see. I'll bet it's bad though.  
  
Bakura: No duh, hikari.  
  
Xantcha: Just be patient, 'Kura. You'll see what happens!! Now, I've got good news and bad news too. First, I'm starting a Beyblade ficcy!!!! *bows* Bad thing, I'm going to take a little longer to update. Don't worry, I'll update more often now, but for some reason or other, my pc didn't allow me to log in on ff.net. Now that it is fixed, everything is great!  
  
Ryou: That and didn't you say you were going to have certain original characters of your friends in the fic?  
  
Xantcha: Yes! Riyo is definetly in there, and I plan on having other friends in there as well, ne?  
  
Bakura: FINALLY we stop getting tortured.  
  
Xantcha: But I already said I'm gonna update regularly!!  
  
Bakura: Ra dammit all. I should send you to the shadow realm.  
  
Xantcha: And then have a pretty pink tutu on! ^_______^  
  
Bakura: o__o   
  
Ryou: Read and Review! 


End file.
